Café Harlequin a new addition to downtown Kirkland
Good news for diners in Downtown Kirkland! Cafe Harlequin, a new restaurant featuring mediterranean cuisine at 107 Lake Street, opened its doors this week. The space formerly occupied by Sentosa, has been complete renovated with warm colors, rich textures and a lounge featuring live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
As my wife, Kate, and I arrived at Harlequin, we were warmly greeted by the hostess at her station. We couldn’t help but notice the significant changes that have been made to the space. Of note is the lounge to the right (in a previous carnation this area was a chinese bakery) and the use of lighting and half walls in partitioning what is ample seating to the left side. The tables are candlelit and bare – no white table clothes here. The wall sconces add a nice touch to the decor.
The lounge area features cozy chairs and couches as well as a bar stocked with forty single malt scotches. Forty is a very healthy number!
Our first encounter with Harlequin was delightful as we found our hosts both friendly and knowledgeable about the menu which features a prix fixe option as well as main plates, risottos and pastas. There is also an interesting selection of starters including the Pizza Harlequin (smoked duck breast, chanterelles, cherry tomatoes and gruyere) and the Wild Mushroom Fig Tart – a meadlly of matsutake, pioppini and chantrelles, goat cheese and a balsamic glaze. On this cool Autumn evening it was just the sort of warm, comfort dish we were looking for as an evening snack.
On my second visit, I was ready for a full meal and I took the advice of my server on a few selections:
- Duck Pond Pinot Noir 12
- Harlequin Salad 7 – made of bib lettuce, cherry tomatoes in a light vinaigrette
- Harlequin Smoked Pork Tenderloin 24 – with potato-apple tart, oven-dried tomatoes and a black pepper-pomegranate molasses
- Chocolate-Cappuccino Mousse 8 – artfully presented with a raspberry tuile, creme Chantilly and frosted raspberries
Both lunch and dinner are served seven days a week at Cafe Harlequin. The doors open at 11 a.m. and food service continues 
throughout the day until 10 p.m. The lunch menu includes 7 salads, some standards and some not-so-customary lunch fare:
- Roasted Leg of Lamb Gyro 12
- Salmon Burger 13
- Grilled Vegetable Sandwich 12
- Grilled Steak Burger 13
- Crab Risotto Milanese 20
- Harlequin Smoked Pork Tenderloin 20
Larry Stepek, the General Manager of Harlequin, proudly speaks of their focus on quality ingredients, friendly staff and masterful preparation. The kitchen prepares most everything in-house from country-style French baguettes to all of the spreads, soups and sauces. The pastry chef was creative with the Chocolate Cappuccino Mousse. Their own gelatos and sorbettos will have to wait for another visit.
Harlequin is hoping to develop a loyal following of locals. My wife and I often eat lunch and dinner downtown. At lunchtime I have a soft spot for George’s Place and I occasionally sneak in a slice at Zeek’s. Harlequin is a different bird (I learned that a harlequin is also a type of duck from our friends at the Kirkland Weblog). Dining at Harlequin is more akin to dining at Trellis.
This may sound silly, but for me one sign of a good restaurant is a clean bathroom. The bathrooms at Harlequin pass with flying colors as they resemble those found at fine hotels – spacious, nicely appointed, clean.
As with every opening, there will be growing pains and those should be overlooked for now. The staff is well-versed and friendly. The restaurant is quite large and can accommodate 128 guests. Walk ins are welcome and with over 30 tables, there shouldn’t be much of a wait for your table.
We are pleased to welcome this civic-minded group as a part of downtown Kirkland.
Have you dined at Cafe Harlequin? Please rate your experience and then leave a comment below:
Reader Rating: [ratings]
Posted by Rob Butcher on Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 7:55 am
Filed under Restaurants · Tagged with Dining, Downtown, Food, Ratings, Restaurants, Reviews
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My boyfriend and I sat at the bar and had a few drinks. The duck pizza was really good. We want to come back for dinner too.
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Our experience was pleasant and it is a joy to see a restaurant opening at this time in this location. Our waiter recommended the smoked pork and it was delicious. It was a little pricier that most places in town but I think they have good quality. This was a fair review. We will be back and the jazz nights sounds like a winner too.
KAR
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Being in the Wine and Spiri industry for these past 35 years – it is a habit of industry people to try many new accounts. Along with another long time wine friend , we stopped by yesterday.for lunch. When trying new accounts we normally split 3-4 items in order to get a feel a feel for the ability of the kitchen. We split three items – each was outstanding – and served by a very profesional server. In fact this account has obtained it’s staff from some of the best accounts in the area, and at least one, fom no less than – “Carmine Il Terriazzo’s in Seattle. If you have ben to Il Terazzo’s – you know what outstanding food and service is. I will be returning to this account many times in the future.
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it’s called a restaurant not an account…also, is a Spiri like Spirit?
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Account manager,
Doesn’t that stick up your a_ _ make it hard to walk?
As a person making a living insulting other people, I think focusing on a typo is petty. Make fun of his taste in single malts or pick on his choice in congressmen – but to waste time with a missed ‘t’ in ’spirit’ makes you sond like a panelist on The View.
People in the industry refer to Class H licensees (that means restaurants that serve hard alcohol) as ‘accounts’.
In the publishing industry, we refer to people like you as douc__ags.
All my love,
John
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Very nice, but what I really want is a nice Italian restaurant where I can get a good plate of spaghetti and meatballs, and a glass of chianti for a price that won’t drain my grocery budget for the remainder of the month.
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Paul, I don’t know about the meatballs but Foghorn/Clancy’s/Fiorente makes divine spaghetti alla puttanesca for about ten bucks (the smaller portion).
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If you would like a nice, inexpensive plate of spaghetti head to Maggiano’s in downtown Bellevue! On the other hand, if you would like a fantastic duck pizza, cured salmon and a fantastic antipasta plate, go to Cafe Harlequin…you will not be disappointed!
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I’ve had lunch and a light dinner at Harlequin. Lunch (fish soup) was excellent. The dinner less so as the Ceasar was mundane and disappointing for the price, the pizza was good but not hot by the time it got to our table. The wait staff was very professional, house red wine was better than most. The $60 fixed price menu displayed prominently in the center of the menu was a bit much…..
Their designers have done an admirable job breaking up the cavernous space with an angle walkway dividing the front and back, dark wood detaills, nice lighting and warm paint tones. Large paintings or pieces of art (NOT harlequin theme related) on the bare walls in between the columns would liven and warm things up, hopefully that is in the works. Some type of soft or translucent window treatment would be nice as the windows are large and automobile lights dominate the evening exterior scenery. I wish them, and any independent business, well and will continue to support them as long as they provide value for the money.
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